Fourth issue · 2016. 5. 16. · Beach clean up Rangers did an early season clean up last month using the Culture and Research Centre’s Honda four wheeler. Some salvageable floats

KOWANYAMA LAND OFFICE NEWS FOURTH EDITION

1 | P a g e

Fourth issue


2 | P a g e

KOWANYAMA LAND OFFICE NEWSFourth issue June 2012

Published quarterly at Kowanyama by Kowanyama Aboriginal Land and Natural Resource Management Office Chellikee Street and Chapman Road Post Box 32, Kowanyama QLD 4871

Editorial Viv Sinnamon [email protected] Telephone 07 40605187 Facsimile 07 40605250 Photos, graphics and stories welcome

Copyright © Reproduction of any of the content of this magazine may only occur with The written permission of the editor Cover: Cabbage Palm (Corypha elata) clump on the edge of Thakuluw wetland near Topsy Creek mouth

A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE PRODUCED FOR THE KOWANYAMA COMMUNITY AND FRIENDS

The opinions and views

expressed in this magazine

do not necessarily

represent the views of

the Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council

mailto:[email protected]


3 | P a g e

16

CONTENTS 4th Edition June 2012

Land Office Admin Officer

joins our new council 5

Recreational Fishing Season Opens 6

Local crossing report 7

Beach clean-up 8

Fish health 8

Strategic Indigenous Reserve

Mitchell River consultations 9

Mary River Statement

The principles 10

Mitchell River Watershed Group

Reviewing Year 2000 Plan 11

NAILSMA sponsors national gathering

Indigenous sea country 12

Early burn at Oriners

Forest Country Fire Management Program 14

Ranger Service activities 16

Old photos bring Kowanyama’s

Wartime history to life 17

Get taipan wise 19

Cultural Heritage Workshop

Sharing our experiences 22

Keeping the pigs out is not easy 24


4 | P a g e

From the editor Well winter has arrived with some very overcast

weather. Oriners Mob reported some rain of about 100

milimetres at the house which has slowed plans for an

early burn program for forest country. As I write this

editorial fishermen are anxious about road conditions

through from Chillagoe for the opening of our

Recreational Fishing Season on the first of June.

Good news for Top End mobs with the approval of

funding for the Alice Mitchell area of Errk Oykangand

National Park boundary fence. Oriners Mob will build it

with other TO’s. The project is Federal Government

funded through their Caring for our Country Program

which will also fund the development of a management

plan for Errk Oykangand by the Land Office with TO’s into

2013.

In the past plans were developed by the State so this is a

very real change in which Oykangand Mob get to do the

plan with their own management agency. The plan will

then go for final approval at the negotiation table with

the Joint Management Steering Committee for the park.

Things have been hectic with changes in staff, and my

being away on leave for surgery but we have made it

through. Applications are in to fill the vacant Land Office

NRM Coordinator’s position, and our new rangers have

hit the ground running with Garth and team.

We are proud to say that it has been possible to get

people on the ground at Oriners ready for what will be a

busy year for them. Thanks for your help Aaron.

This issue will be interesting to everyone with the Shelfo

bomber story and the fantastic photographs taken by the

American pilot who flew the plane back to Charters

Towers. We thank our new friend in Brisbane, Roger

Marks for providing the historical material back in 2009

from his 1994 publication, and also to Land Office staff

who have stuck with it while I have been on leave.

Thank you also Gary Drewien for coming all the way from

South Australia to be here to fill in my spot when I got

back from hospital and to do early preparatory work for

our Coastal Wetlands Program activities this dry season.

Enjoy the 4th issue of Kowanyama’s very own magazine.

Viv


5 | P a g e

LAND OFFICE ADMIN OFFICER

JOINS OUR NEW COUNCIL

Teddy Bernard the Land Office Administration

Officer, and Chair of Abm elgoring ambung, the

Native Title Prescribed Body Corporate, has

resigned his position to join the new Council and

Mayor, Robert Holness. Mainstream local

government rules are that as a Councillor he

cannot be a full time employee of the Council and

its Land Office.

Teddy has completed his Business Studies

Certificate III and is a graduate of Cape York

Institute’s program that encouraged the

development of young leaders. He is also an

alumni of the Diplomacy Training Program out of

the University of New South Wales in Sydney

which led to his attending a United Nations

gathering in New York and later an opportunity to

have dinner with Jose Ramos Horte the program’s

patron, during a DTP workshop in Timor.

“The Land Office congratulates the

new Council and wishes Teddy well.

We hope he finds his studies, and

time with the Land Office useful in

his new role as a Councillor,” said

Land Office Manager, Viv

Sinnamon.

Teddy has taken over the Council portfolio of

Aboriginal Lands and Culture from Councillor

Michael Yam since his recent swearing in at the

Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council chambers.

Councillor Yam has been an active advocate of

Aboriginal land management during his time as a

Councillor.

“I will continue to promote my mob’s right to

managing Kowanyama Aboriginal Lands and

waters for the benefit of our future generations

along with helping develop a strong Aboriginal

Council.

I will actively support our Land Office where ever I

can,” Councillor Yam said recently

KOWANYAMA ABORIGINAL

SHIRE COUNCIL

Robert Holness (Mayor)

Michael Yam (Deputy Mayor)

Teddy Bernard

Billy Thomas

Walter Parry

Councillors Walter Parry and Billy Thomas both

held positions as Rangers during the early

establishment of Kowanyama’s Land Office.

Two new rangers, Fitzroy Lawrence and Nigel

Coleman have joined Land Office staff with Darren,

Phillip, Louie and Senior Ranger Garth making up

the Ranger Service.

They have been busy getting camp sites ready for

the opening of the recreational camping and

fishing season on the first of June. More on their

activities with photos in this issue.

Phillip Yam, Daniel and Louie Native have

travelled to Oriners via the eastern road at Artemis

on the Peninsula Road to prepare for an early

season’s start with the usual clean up and the Fire

Program. Daniel has offered to help with GPS, data

gathering and mapping work.


6 | P a g e

2012 SEASON OPEN

It is June again and the recreational fishing season

has opened for visiting fishing parties. In excess of

sixty thousand dollars was taken last season. Half

of the revenue went to traditional owner clans of

the fishing areas. Some of the fundswent to prizes

for the Tilapia competition at the Lake Tinaroo

Barra Bash, and $2500 went towards costs to bring

together members of the Indigenous, recreational

and commercial fishing sectors in Mareeba for

expert discussions in a review of the Mitchell River

Watershed Management Plan (2000).

Fishing camp fees provide a valuable contribution

to Land Office operations.

The poor road conditions took the shine off parties

using the Wonya Creek and Bull Crossing.

Some may remember that in the regulations

established back in the late eighties the season

was opened in June to give frontage country on

the Mitchell time to dry out. There was one season

in that time when the Mitchell delta flooded in

May and the Wonya sites were not opened until

July because of the late wet condition of the road.

This does not happen often.

Hopefully a machine will be available soon to light

grade the worst of the road to the river. Having a

good road into that country will always be difficult.

Wonya and the Mitchell in the wet

It will be interesting to see how the season goes

this year with the very short and late run in the

river this wet along with last season’s higher levels

through the 2011 dry.

Those coming to fish under permit are asked

to please prepare to vacate camp sites by

10.00am to allow any incoming parties to set

up in good time after they have registered

with the Land Office.


7 | P a g e

Rangers have been preparing the recreational fishing camp sites and ask that everyone

takes care with their vehicles and equipment when accessing the sites and other bush

areas.

Lower Sandy: With care

Ranger staff putting out Bull Crossing signs

Shelfo: Not for a while yet !

Top Sandy OK but care nth side

Dunbar Koolatah Crossing: Not yet!!


8 | P a g e

Beach clean up Rangers did an early season

clean up last month using the

Culture and Research Centre’s

Honda four wheeler.

Some salvageable floats were

recovered along with the usual

small pieces of net.

The Mitchell River coast is lucky

having a south north current

that keeps a lot of the marine

rubbish away from our coast. This

may be one of the reasons that there

are not the large populations of sea

turtles found further north where

there is also a big problem with

international ghost nets and other

marine rubbish.

Taron David on the Topsy to South Mitchell beach

The tides and currents in our corner

of the Gulf also seem to have

stopped the Macassans in the early

days from exploring any further east

than Sweers Island.

Anyone who sees a dead groper or

other fish including grunter, big scale

mullet and ocean catfish should

contact the Land Office straight away.

Over the last four years around 85

groper have died in Queensland

A streptococcus infection has been

found in some dead and sick fish.

Fish with sores should be bagged

and put on ice

Record the location of the fish

NOTE TO RECREATIONAL FISHERS

Visiting fishing groups are asked to

bring in specimens to the Land Office

if they are able either frozen or at least

on ice. Any assistance you can give

would be appreciated as a way of

keeping an eye on our Gulf fishery


9 | P a g e

Mitchell River consultations

The idea is fair allocation of future

water reserves for the different

mobs of the Mitchell catchment

Whitefulla’s boundaries once again have managed

to complicate things for everyone on the Mitchell

including the Government.

The bottom end of the Mitchell River west of the

junction of the Palmer and the Mitchell River is in

the “Cape York Region”. This means that the rest

of the river is not, and that there are different

arrangements for water allocations for Aboriginal

groups for the two regions in the one catchment..

Djungan Elder Ron Archer has been working with

consultant Jan

Crase and

Aboriginal

groups of the

river to talk

about the

management

of the future

reserve. The study is part of a North Australian

proposal to the Governments for a 25% allocation

of river water from the total water put aside for all

users on the river as a strategic reserve for

Aboriginal users.

Representatives from Kowanyama have attended

meetings in North Queensland, Darwin and the

Kimberley in Western Australia over the last two

years.

This month Michael Yam and Michelle Major

attended a meeting in Mareeba to hear the

findings of the study by Jan and Ron that was

written up in a paper by William Nikolakis.

The meetings have been organised by North

Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Alliance.

A Water Facilitator’s Network was established to

bring issues to an Indigenous Water Policy Group

who discussed water policy issues with the Federal

Government.

The group developed a proposal to set up an

Indigenous Strategic Reserve (SIR) in all water

plans across states. The Network has now been

wound up after providing valuable information

from communities to the Water Policy Group.

NAILSMA held a meeting of Water Facilitator

Network members hosted by Kowanyama at

Worrtha in July 2010.

Joe Ross Chairman of the Indigenous Water

Policy Group


10 | P a g e

MARY RIVER STATEMENT

The principles

In August 2009, about 80 Indigenous

experts from North Australia met at

Mary River Park in the Northern

Territory to talk and present their

water interests and issues to the

Northern Australia Land and Water

Taskforce.

Alice River North Queensland

“As traditional owners we

have an inherent right to

make decisions about cultural

and natural resource

management in Northern

Australia”.

1 Land, water and people are

very closely connected, which means

unity of land, water and indigenous

people

2 Water management and use

includes all of cultural uses,

environmental flows, consumptive

and commercial uses, and that all

freshwater systems are included

whether on the mainland or on sea

country.

3 Keeping to a balanced revised

“triple bottom line” (Social, cultural,

ecological and economic) that

includes a fourth element of political

sustainability.

4 Water dealings are based on

free, prior and informed decisions

and engagement with indigenous

communities at all levels.

5 Principles of international law

be the guiding principles for the

development of indigenous

engagement on water

6 Water allocation needs to be

linked with best practice,

sustainable, efficient use and

accurate up to date information

about environmental flows

7 Indigenous people across

North Australia are united in dealing

with water issues and accordingly

recognise a set of common interests

that are set out in the Mary River

Statement


11 | P a g e

Reviewing its Year 2000 plan

For some time now the Mitchell River Group has

been struggling to keep its doors open.

Some months ago its Executive made a decision to

employ Linda Souteriou to help reinvigorate the

Group that was formed from the Mitchell River

Conference at Kowanyama in 1990.

Linda spent a previous life time working with

natural resource management regional bodies in

Western Australia. She has come to live in the

north with her husband who is now working in

Cairns. Two of Linda’s main jobs are to review the

Mitchell River Watershed Plan and to identify

financial support for the Group’s administrative

operations and future projects. The first outcome

of Linda’s hard work is a draft prospectus to use

for fund raising.

Boundaries again

Once again boundaries drawn by other people

have created issues for management of Mitchell

River country. Fortunately the people on the

ground know where they are in the sea of

bureaucratic boundaries.

In the past the lower end of the Mitchell has been

called “No man’s land”. Kowanyama is in the Cape

York region as well as the Northern Gulf NRM

Region. Those who do not live here have now

called the lower Mitchell a “shared responsibility

area”. Kowanyama has refused to be part of the

debate continuing to assert their right to

responsibility for the management of Kowanyama

Aboriginal Lands with the help of chosen partners.

Mareeba planning workshop

Linda Souteriou facilitated an initial catchment

planning workshop in Mareeba attended by a

roomful of people representing farmers, miners,

recreational fishers, indigenous groups and

community. Kowanyama was represented by Viv

Sinnamon, Teddy Bernard and Aaron Crosbie as he

was moving to Cape York sustainable Futures.

Fisheries sector workshop

Kowanyama Land Office later contributed $2500 to

the organisation of a Fisheries workshop by the

Mitchell River Group and held in Mareeba during

April. The money came from the Land Office’s

income from recreational fishing and camping

permit fees. Thomas Hudson and Michael Yam

attended. Thomas gave the opening welcome and

introduction at both the 1988 Kowanyama

Northern Fisheries Conference and the 1990

Mitchell River Conference. He was a member of

the 1989 Kowanyama team with James Bernard

and Viv Sinnamon that successfully negotiated the

fisheries closure of the South Mitchell with

Commercial fishers and Government.

“In 1989 Kowanyama showed its commitment to

Gulf fisheries management by buying out two

commercial fishing licences to get a river closed

and protected for the benefit of Kowanyama as

well as the region and fishery. $64000 of

Kowanyama’s own money was used to buy and

close two barra licences”, Mr Hudson said.


12 | P a g e

Chairman of Karumba Commercial Fishermen’s

Organisation, Gary Ward and his wife Claudine

travelled from Karumba for the meeting with

recreational and indigenous fisheries sector

members. Gary had been a part of the 1989

negotiations, had attended the 1988 Kowanyama

fisheries meeting and also joined fisheries

representatives at the 1990 river conference.

The meeting gave Gary and Claudine the

opportunity to catch up with Kowanyama. In more

recent years commercial fishers have attended

cultural awareness workshops organised by

Carpentaria Land Council in Burketown with QCFO.

Indigenous Sea Country

In May over one hundred people from every state

and territory of Australia gathered at Mary River to

share stories of their indigenous experiences in the

management of their traditional sea estates.

Darren Burns of Quandamooka Land Council of

Stradbroke Island extended his best wishes to

everyone at Kowanyama. Stephen Schnierer,

Banjalung representative from Northern NSW

attended as a facilitator and advised on

international indigenous interests. Stephen

attended the Cape York Land Council Forum at

Shelfo with other interstate guests in 1995. He has

kept a keen interest in Kowanyama ever since.

Early pioneers of Aboriginal land management

agencies including Kowanyama Land Office,

Dhimurru (Yirrkala), Bawinanga/Djelk

(Maningrida), Anindiliyakwa (Groote Eylandte)

attended the three day workshop. Phil Rist

represented high profile Aboriginal management

agency, Girringun at Cardwell. Queensland

representation included Quandamooka Land

Council, Stradbroke Island near Brisbane (Darren

Burns) to Apudthama Rangers, Injinoo, Cape York

(Christo Lifu). Torres Strait Islander representatives

included Walter Mackie and Frank Loban.

The boundary between land and sea is best

shown during the wet season floods of our

delta. There isn’t a boundary! Salt one day,

fresh the next. In some places salt on top,

fresh underneath.

Early in the meeting delegates pointed out that sea

was not seen as separate from land. That it had to

all be managed as “country”, the indigenous way

of seeing the world.


The non-indigenous way of “NRM” (Natural Resources Management) separates land from sea with many

government agencies that do not work together effectively. Integrated NRM and Integrated Catchment

Management have been around in Queensland since the days of the 1990 Mitchell River Conference and in the

Integrated Catchment Management legislation enacted in Queensland a year later.

A discussion paper about Indigenous Protected Areas (IPA) in Australia was written by Dermott Smyth and

presented for comment at the Mary River workshop. Dermott has become widely known since the Resource

Assessment Commission Coastal Zone Inquiry of the 1980’s and has worked with many groups around Australia

to develop land and sea management plans. Dhimurru and Yiralka (Yirrkala, NT) Anindiliyakwa (Groote

Eylandte NT), Girringun (Cardwell, QLD), Mandingalbay IPA (Yarrabah, QLD) and Bardi Jawi (Kimberley coast,

WA) presented their experiences with Indigenous Protected Area management as voluntary arrangements

with Government to protect their sea country interests. New South Wales and Victorian groups also spoke on

the outcomes of their IPA work.

Groote Eylandte and Yarrabah IPA communities developed their community based plans as large and easy to

read coloured posters shown to everyone at the meeting.

Discussions helped to formulate a Vision 2035 for Indigenous sea country and to develop ideas on Indigenous

Protected Areas and other ways to manage and protect sea country and ensure indigenous management.

Groote Eylandte and Yirrkala representatives talked strongly on traditional values and responsibilities for

country in a way that kept everyone grounded. A draft statement was prepared and debated on the last day. It

is a good follow up to the 2009 Mary River Water Statement. A draft of the statement will be available soon.

CELEBRATING

MABO DECISION

The Mabo Decision was a momentous one

in which indigenous occupation of

Australia before Captain Cook in 1770,

and traditional landownership was

acknowledged without the loss of a single

non-indigenous home or backyard. It is no

magic bullet to solve indigenous world

problems just the start of a long road.

Kowanyama representatives will attend a

Townsville conference this week to celebrate the

Mabo decision of Native Title. Charlotte Yam,

Teddy Bernard, Robert Holness, Ravin Greenwool

and Rodney Whitfield will give a presentation at

the conference on Kowanyama’s long and

continuing journey in search of self- governance of

its Aboriginal Lands.

Kowanyama’s journey began long before its

successful Native Title determination at

Kowanyama in 2009. The belief here has always

been that the right to customary responsibility to

management of country was something that had

to be asserted. The establishment here of

Australia’s first Indigenous land management

agency in Australia was seen as “Post Mabo”

believing that Australia’s interpretation of “Native

Title” would not cover all land governance issues.

Many worked hard nationally to negotiate the

nature of Native Title legislation with hard-nosed

Governments that had the Australian public

believing they would lose homes and backyards.

The great Australian takeover never happened and

urban backyards are safe.

The Mabo Decision was a momentous one in

which the idea of “Terra nullius” was disproved

and traditional landownership acknowledged.

There are successful claims now across Australia

but this is only the first major step in a long

process for Aboriginal People to gain real justice.

Charlotte Yam with other claimants and their legal counsel in

Cairns during Kowanyama Native Title Tribunal discussions


14 | P a g e

“People feel a sense of

ownership in the Fire Program.

Fire is an effective land

management tool that has a lot

of other side benefits for the

people who live in forest

country. Importantly too it will

help get Olkola people back on

country”, said Viv Sinnamon.

Oriners Mob has lit the first grass for the season to

begin the first year of Kowanyama’s Forest Country

Fire Management Program. This month they got in

to Oriners via the Cape York Peninsula road and

Artemis, and been part of a helicopter survey of

country with Olkola members including Crosbie.

The early season trip was made possible through

the hard work of Land Office and Cape York

Sustainable Future staff members

The plan will put an end to the big hot late season

burns of the past when many stations were burnt.

The plan is to reintroduce early patch burning

which will break up the country leaving some

country unburnt. This is good for stock, wildlife

and the protection of property like yards and

fences. The fires early in the year are not as hot.

The program started by the Land Office and

Oriners Mob now involves all of its neighbours at

Balurga, Harkness, Crosbie, Dixie, National Parks

(DERM), Rural Fire Service, Cape York Sustainable

Futures and Ulkulu Land Trust.

Forest Country Fire

Management Program

Recent rains stopped aerial burns with about 100

millimetres of rain reported at Oriners. Burning is

expected to begin again in a few weeks before the

grass gets too dry. Before the rains patch burning

lit on the ground was successful along the Eight

Mile Creek frontage. Aerial burns are planned by

DERM for Errk Oykangand National Park and

Crosbie Station. Flights will be coordinated to burn

Oriners, Sefton and neighbouring properties while

the aircraft is in the area. Scientists headed up by

Jeremy Russell Smith from Darwin will visit Oriners

and Sefton in July to survey ten unburnt grassland

sites.

The Project brings together neighbours

with a bunch of agencies. Michael Ross

Mob has been able to do some work on

Crosbie and geomorphologist, Jeff

Shellberg from Cooktown has had a look

at erosion issues to help us look after

Oriners lagoon.


15 | P a g e

The survey project is funded through the Northern

Aboriginal and Islander Land and Sea Management

Alliance, NAILSMA, and Kowanyama’s Land Office.

Scientists will work out how much carbon is in

grass as part of a bigger study. It will look at how

Oriners can make an income from fire

management. This is called “Carbon Farming”.

Big companies from around the world pay other

people to look after country by managing fire and

stopping the big late season hot fires that put a lot

of smoke and carbon into the air.

A lot of work still needs to be

done before people get their

hopes up about the economic

benefits of Carbon Farming. Right

now we are having a careful look.

The Kowanyama will commission a feasibility study

once the scientists have a better idea of the value

of the country and just how much country could

be used for Carbon Farming. The Land Office is

also aware that a change in legislation over

pastoral leases in Queensland will be needed for

the economic benefits to flow to landholders.

Unlike Kowanyama Aboriginal Trust Lands Oriners

and Sefton are pastoral leases bought by

Kowanyama in the 1990’s.

Kowanyama’s Forest Fire

Management Program will have a

lot of other benefits even if the

Carbon Farming idea does not work.

It is bringing people together in a

remote area of the southern Cape

to manage country in a way that

suits them. It will protect valuable

property, be better for cattle

management and for the

environment. It is also bringing

together Olkola families from both

sides of the Cape on country


16 | P a g e

Protection of water supply and Dog

Pound infrastructure with an early

burn

Early check of road conditions to

recreational fishing camp sites in

readiness for the opening of the

fishing season

Helicopter survey of coastal

wetlands and waterbird nesting

sites

Refurbishment of Service

workshops and fabrication of

workshop benches and steel

storage racks

Fabrication of campsite and road

signage


17 | P a g e

28th Bomb Squadron 19 BG Aircraft 41-2417 B17E

Crew List

1st Lt Thompson S/Sgt Sexton

2nd Lt Schmid Sgt Norton

1st Lt Dawson T/Sgt Prince

2nd Lt Norton Cpl Copley

Cpl Secor

Bomb Loading

10 six hour delay 250lb Australian

bombs

4 Inst. 250 lb Australian bombs

Weather during attack. Overcast at 6500 feet, and a slight ground haze. Weather on return

route back- high overcast and haze obscured the stars so that navigator was unable to take

shots with octant. At 05.30 July 5 1942 broke into clear and began descending so that we

could see coastline of Australia when we flew over it. At 3500 feet still couldn’t see below us

so climbed to 4000 feet and kept on course of 225 magnetic intending to come into Horn

Island on homing frequency, which by an agreement was to be turned on at 05.00 am.

During the Native Title determination in late

2009 at Kowanyama a chance meeting

between Land Office staff and Mike Hintz of

Oz Tour Safaris Cairns led to an introduction

to Roger Marks of Mansfield in Brisbane.

Roger was interested in wartime history and

quickly sent a series of scanned photographs

and historical information about the crash of

the American bomber on the floodplain near

Shelfo in 1942.

An American Air force veteran and the pilot,

Walter Maiersperger who had flown the B17

aircraft back to Charters Towers gave Roger

Marks a collection of photos that are now in

the Kowanyama Culture and Research Centre

museum archive. We now have a better idea

of what happened when the bomber returned

from attacks on Lae in New Guinea. The pilot

lost his bearings on the way back to Cloncurry

and ran out of fuel. Unlike the crash landing

on the beach at Edward River the plane was

repaired and flown off

Special thanks go to Roger Marks of Brisbane and

to Walter Maiersperger of the US for his photos


18 | P a g e

McKenzie the Superintendent of Aurukun

spoke with the Brisbane Sunday Mail in

1943. He described what he knew about

the plane crash. The Sunday Mail

published a censored article in their paper

soon after.

BLACKS SAVE BIG PLANE

Sunday Mail January 3rd

1943

“...not long ago a flying fortress with an

American crew made a forced landing...

She pancaked on to a natural saltpan clearing,

but was in pretty bad shape.....She was

located by a Catalina and the message was

sent through to the superintendent of a river

station where there are about 700 blacks. The

head stockman set out with a team of horses

and brought in the crew.

The pilot had a rest and something to eat and,

then asked could he borrow some men to take

him back, because he would have to destroy

the plane. And that meant 80000 pounds

worth of flying fortress.”

Alec McLeod Superintendent here

convinced the authorities that the aircraft

could be rescued with the help of the

Mission. In March 1943 the Australian

Board of Missions published a story in its

monthly magazine, the ABM Review

under the title of Mitchell River Mission.

“Even with war conditions so noticeable in

the north the work of the mission goes on but

is more varied than usual. Its variation

consists in rescuing airmen, building by

native voluntary labour a 17 mile road to

where these planes came down and

constructing a runway to take off again. The

airmen were amazed at the capacity of the

natives to find their way about in the dark

and also their refusal to take payment for the

work. The 17 miles of road was put through

in a week and the landing strip of 1200 yards

in five days. To get to the plane four rivers

had to be crossed and many creek crossings

had to be made so that they would carry 8

ton trucks. The natives had only a few

shovels and picks; the rest worked with their

hands. It was case of the natives showing the

yanks how to work.”


19 | P a g e

GET TAIPAN WISE Oxyuranus scutellatus (Big English name)

Ming rrithan (Kokoberra)

Minh koluw (Yir Yoront)

Minh kow merrl (Yir Yoront)

Taipan is a big story minya

Kids should not touch it dead or alive

Clean away its blood just like a person’s blood

An increasing number of Taipans have

been seen and some killed in the town

area in recent years.

One was killed in a bedroom at 9.30 at

night.

If you see a snake in the bush let it move

away. Do not throw anything at it

Snakes will only attack if they feel

threatened

If you see a snake in the town area

Treat all snakes as poisonous

Most snakes in town are not

Do not stir it up

Keep kids away

Report it to the Land Office

Report it straight away

Land Office staff will deal with it

For those who have not seen a taipan

the photo here is an image of the snake

killed in the bedroom on Gilbert White

Street

It had fangs one centimetre long

It is very poisonous

Is very fast

Can bite more than once

Likes eating rats and mice

Does not like cold weather


20 | P a g e

Mitchell River Mission in 1942 with the dormitory in the background where the police station now stands on Chapman Road

Later during the war Radar

Station number 320 was set up

near the airstrip at Mitchell

River Mission.

A Defence Service camp was

established at Belboro after the

crash of the bombers at Mitchell

and Edward River Missions

Dauntless dive bomber that flew Pilot in to fly the repaired plane to Charters Towers

Lt Schmick and

twelve men of 27th

Service Squadron and

2 men of 33rd QM

Regiment were

ordered to travel via

Mungana to repair

the aircraft on the

Mitchell River

A convoy bringing parts to repair the bomber cross probably the Lynd River before a causeway was built


21 | P a g e

While the men repaired the plane’s propellers and landing gear Mission workers helped with the

airstrip filling in gilgays and cutting small trees. A truck was used to drag a log to grade the surface of

the strip. While camped on the river the men hunted crocodiles and enjoyed “crocodile steaks”.

Everyone out at the crash site

was fed by the visitors.

When the plane flew back to

Charters Towers and the flight

engineers returned to the east

coast it is said that the Mission

had enough kerosene and

tinned food for a very long

time after.

Women watch the activity with kids


22 | P a g e

The B17 test runs its motors before flying to Charters Towers from the temporary airstrip with all turrets and guns removed and

returned to base by truck and train. The bomber that crashed on the beach at Edward River Mission without loss of life remains

there now buried beneath the mud and sand. B17E Number 41 2417 and its crew had survived to fly another day

Cultural Heritage Workshop

Sharing our experiences The Mitchell River Group invited Kowanyama to share experiences

in cultural heritage documentation with Mbarbarum, Yelangi and

Djungan community members at Malanda. The workshop extended

over two days and was organised by Brynn Matthews of the

Mitchell River Group.

Teddy Bernard and Daniel Maddelena talked about Land Office and

Traditional Owner involvement in the documentation of country at

Kowanyama as well as cultural heritage consultation with Main

Roads and Shire Councils doing road work.

Aaron Crosbie from Cape York Sustainable Futures and Daniel

showed how Cyber Tracker ware was used to record mapped areas and cultural places on the

computer. The groups were very interested in how Kowanyama has developed its own information

base.

Involvement in the workshop was seen as one way of helping Traditional Owner groups upstream of

Kowanyama country who must seek permission to be on their traditional country to record their

own country. People were very interested in hearing about recording a living cultural landscape and

that cultural heritage was not just about bones, stones and art sites.

The workshop gave Land Office staff an opportunity to talk about Kowanyama, the Land Office and

their work as part of their own training and development, and to be part of Mitchell River

Watershed Management Group activities


23 | P a g e

CLOSED MINE

POLLUTES

JAMIE CK

A tributary of Walsh River

Kagara Limited’s Baal Gammon zinc mine shut down its operations after having financial problems and going into voluntary administration on April 29 to look at a $40m debt with ANZ.

March flooding had spilled material from the mine into the creek.

State MP, Shane Knuth has said that he was worried that the mines financial problems might affect Kagara’s ability to clean up the mess or to pay compensation.

Environment Minister, Andrew Powell has said that residents should test water from Jamie Creek and the Walsh River if they are going to use it. He also noted that the flow from the mine area had stopped.

Members of the Jamie Creek community had attended the Mareeba meeting of the Mitchell River Group and had talked with people there including some Kowanyama representatives.

They noted that some of the community had been born at Jamie Creek fishing and swimming there enjoying their remote home.

Kowanyama people hosted the original Mitchell River Conference in 1990 because of their worries about the impacts of upstream mining and

other activities in the catchment.

Studies to establish mercury levels in downstream waters of the Mitchell showed that at the moment there are no significant problems.

“This latest incident shows just how important it is that the impacts of careless mining and other activities must be considered by everyone before mines are given the go ahead by Government. This should not happen,” said Cllr Teddy Bernard. who attended the Mitchell River Watershed Plan review in Mareeba last month.

The Land Office will keep an eye

on developments and keep

readers up to date.

Mitchell River Mission Airport 1943


24 | P a g e

FERAL PIGS ARE

DAMAGING OUR

COUNTRY

Would you be a turtle

in this swamp

Keeping the pigs out ain’t easy

Rangers did repair work on a fence put

around Crayfish Hole as soon as it was

possible to get into the area after the wet

season.

A bull had knocked over a section getting

through the fence and pigs had found their

way through including where the fence

crossed a watercourse. Stock and pigs have

only done some minor damage to water

plants along the edge of the wetland which is

beginning to show signs of recovery since the

fence was erected by Monty Gilbert’s fencing

team.

Further work will be done this dry season on

the problem fence sections. Water quality

testing is showing that there is an

improvement in water quality as water plants

thicken and stock are kept out. Pormpuraaw

Rangers have had similar success at the

Chillagoe Pocket Lagoon near Puyul where a

very well made galvanised picket exclusion

fence keeps pigs and cattle out.


25 | P a g e

Louie repairing the pig exclusion fence at Crayfish Hole


26 | P a g e

Published quarterly at Kowanyama by

Kowanyama Aboriginal Land and Natural Resource

Management Office

Chellikee Street and Chapman Road

Post Box 32, Kowanyama QLD 4871

Editorial

Viv Sinnamon

[email protected]

Telephone 07 40605187

Facsimile 07 40605250

Photos, graphics & stories welcome

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Fourth issue · 2016. 5. 16. · Beach clean up Rangers did an early season clean up last month using the Culture and Research Centre’s Honda four wheeler. Some salvageable floats